Apparatus and method for handling lens carriers

ABSTRACT

Novel methods and apparatus are disclosed for handling carriers for soft contact lenses in a lens manufacturing system. In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, article handling devices are located beneath a pre-cure station and a curing station of the system to move lens carriers within those stations. As a result of locating these devices beneath these stations, the desired movement of the carriers can be achieved without increasing the footprint of the station. Pursuant to a second aspect of the invention, a complete set of assemblies is provided for moving a multitude of lens carriers into, through, and out from the pre-cure station and the curing station. This set of assemblies accomplishes this movement in a completely automated, high speed, mass production basis. In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, the curing station is provided with an intelligent buffer. This buffer allows the lens carriers to accumulate in the curing station, and then discharges the carriers from the station in an ordered manner at the appropriate time. This enables the output or throughput of the curing station to be controlled or adjusted to accommodate changing conditions or circumstances occurring in the manufacturing system downstream of the curing station.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention generally relates to the manufacture of soft contactlenses using a polymerizable monomer or monomer mixture. Morespecifically, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for movinglens carriers in such a manufacturing process. Even more specifically,the invention relates to such methods and apparatus that areparticularly well suited for moving the lens carriers through pre-curingand curing stations.

2. Prior Art

Over the last several years, systems have been successfully developedfor the automated, mass production of soft contact lenses using a directmolding process. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.6,220,845, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated hereinin its entirety by reference.

Generally, in the system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,845, each lensis formed by sandwiching a monomer between back and front mold halves.The monomer is polymerized, thus forming a lens that is then removedfrom the mold halves, further treated, and packaged for consumer use. Inorder to polymerize the monomer, it has been found advantageous to passthe monomer through both a pre-cure and a curing step.

In the pre-cure step, the mold halves are held together under pressurewhile the polymerization is begun. Typically, the monomer compositionincludes initiators that work upon exposure to ultraviolet or visibleradiation; and, in the pre-cure step, while the mold halves are heldtogether, the composition is exposed to such radiation of an intensityand duration effective to initiate polymerization. After the pre-curestep, the monomer is again exposed to ultraviolet or visible radiationin a cure step in which the polymerization is permitted to proceed tocompletion.

More than one lens can be cured at a time, and the throughput of thelens manufacturing process can be increased by increasing the number oflenses being cured at the same time. Simply increasing the number oflenses being cured at one time is complicated, however, by severalfactors. For example, as this number increases, the size of the area orareas needed for the pre-cure and curing also tends to increase, andother design constraints or considerations may limit the size of thisarea or areas. In addition, as the number of lenses that are in thepre-cure and cure areas increases, the design and operation of thearticle handling apparatus used to move all of these lenses into,through, and out of these areas may become excessively complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of this invention is to provide pre-cure and curing stations,in a system for molding soft contact lenses, that are compact and yetcan also handle a large volume of lenses.

Another object of the present invention is to improve methods andapparatus for handling lens carriers in pre-cure and curing station of alens manufacturing system.

A further object of the invention is to locate article handlingequipment beneath the floors of pre-cure and curing stations of acontact lens manufacturing system, and thereby to reduce the requiredsize of the footprint of the floors while still being able to move thelenses through the stations in a highly effective and efficient manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a curing station, in asystem for molding soft contact lenses, with an intelligent buffer.

A still another object of this invention is to hold a variable number ofcontact lenses in a curing station of a soft contact lens manufacturingsystem, to help the system accommodate temporary interruptions, or otherchanges, in the operation of other stations or subsystems of the system.

These and other objectives are attained with novel methods and apparatusfor handling carriers for soft contact lenses in a lens manufacturingsystem. In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, articlehandling devices are located beneath a pre-cure station and a curingstation of the system to move lens carriers within those stations. As aresult of locating these devices beneath these stations, the desiredmovement of the carriers can be achieved without increasing thefootprint of the station. Pursuant to a second aspect of the invention,a complete set of assemblies is provided for moving a multitude of lenscarriers into, through and out from the pre-cure station and the curingstation. This set of assemblies accomplishes this movement in acompletely automated, high speed, mass production basis. In accordancewith a third aspect of the invention, the curing station is providedwith an intelligent buffer. This buffer allows the lens carriers toaccumulate in the curing station, and then discharges the carriers fromthe station in an ordered manner at the appropriate time. This enablesthe output or throughput of the curing station to be controlled oradjusted to accommodate changing conditions or circumstances occurringin the manufacturing system downstream of the curing station.

Further benefits and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom a consideration of the following detailed description, given withreference to the accompanying drawings, which specify and show preferredembodiments of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a lens molding system embodying thisinvention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pre-cure and curing stations of the lensmolding system.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the pre-cure and curing stations.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show assemblies for grouping lens carriers and movinggroups of carriers into the pre-cure station.

FIG. 7 illustrates assemblies for moving the carriers across thepre-cure station, for discharging the carriers from that station, andfor assembling a row of carriers in the curing station.

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate details of the assembly for moving the carriersacross the pre-cure station.

FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 also show the assembly for forming rows of carriersin the curing station, and illustrate an assembly for pushing these rowsacross that station.

FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 show an assembly for moving a row of carriers to anend position in the curing station.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 generally illustrates a system 100 for manufacturing soft contactlenses from a polymerizable monomer or monomer mixture. The soft contactlenses are formed in a mold assembly having a first concave mold and asecond, convex mold half. The mold halves themselves are molded in aninjection molding machine, schematically represented at 102, and formedof polystyrene transparent to visible and ultraviolet light. The mold isthin enough to transmit heat rapidly and has sufficient rigidity towithstand prying forces applied to separate the mold halves duringdemolding.

From the injection molding machine 102, the mold halves are deposited inpallets or carriers 104. In particular, the front mold halves are placedin a first group of carriers, and the second mold halves are placed in asecond group of carriers. Each carrier is designed to receive a number,such as eight, of these mold halves; and after receiving the moldhalves, these carriers are conveyed from the injection mold area. At adosing area 106, a polymerizable mixture is then dosed, onto the frontcurve mold halves; and subsequently, at deposition area 108, the frontmold halves are covered with the base mold halves.

The carriers are then conveyed to a pre-cure area 110. The mold halvesare clamped together, and the monomer or monomer mixture is then exposedto actinic light, preferably from a UV lamp. At the completion of thepre-cure step, the monomer or monomer mixture has formed a partiallypolymerized gel, with polymerization initiated throughout the mixture.

Following the pre-cure step, the lens carriers are moved to a UV oven112 where the monomer/diluent mixture is cured whereby polymerization ofthe monomer is completed. This irradiation with actinic, visible orultraviolet radiation produces a polymer diluent mixture in the shape ofthe final desired hydrogel lens. After the polymerization process iscompleted, the lens carriers are conveyed to a demolding station 114,where the mold halves are separated, typically leaving the contact lenson the first, or front, mold half, from which it is subsequentlyremoved. The front and base curve mold halves are used for a single lensmolding and then discarded or disposed of. After the demolding step, thesolvent is displaced with water to produce a hydrated lens. The lensesmay be further treated, and are packaged for consumer use.

The present invention provides novel apparatus and methods for movingthe lens carriers into, through and from the pre-cure and the curingstations 110 and 112. In its preferred form, the invention comprisesfirst and second sets of article handling devices. The first set 116 ofdevices is used to form a first array 120 of lens carriers in, and tomove that array of carriers through, the pre-cure area 110. The secondset 122 of devices is used to form a second array 124 of carriers in,and to move this array of carriers through, the curing area 112.

The first set of article handling devices includes assemblies 126, 130,132 (shown in FIGS. 7–9) and 134; and the second set of article handlingdevices includes assemblies 136, 140 and 142. Generally, assembly 126 isprovided for assembling a group of lens carriers into a row in a firstposition 144, with neighboring carriers in the row contiguous to eachother; and assembly 130 is used to move this row of lens carriers fromthat first position and into the pre-cure area 110. Assembly 132 isprovided for moving the row of carriers across the pre-cure area 110 andinto a final row position therein, and assembly 134 is used to move therow of lens carriers from that final position and out of the pre-curearea 110. Assembly 136 is provided for forming a row of lens carriers ina first position 146 in the curing area 112, with neighboring carriersin this row contiguous to each other; assembly 140 is used to move thisrow of carriers through a sequence of positions in the curing area 112and to an end position 196 therein; and assembly 142 is provided formoving the carrier in this row out of the curing area 112. Also, controlmeans, schematically represented at 150, may be provided to control andto coordinate operation of the above-identified assemblies.

Assembly 126 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, and withreference thereto, this assembly comprises arm 162, horizontal movingmeans 164, and vertical moving means 166. Generally, arm 162 issupported for horizontal and vertical movement. Mechanism 164 is used tomove that arm between first and second positions to engage lens carriers104 and to form a group of contiguous lens carriers, and vertical movingmeans 166 is used to move that arm vertically.

With the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings,assembly 126 is used to form groups of three lens carriers, and eachgroup of three is assembled in a two-step process. In a first step, aslens carriers are moved down by toward the pre-cure area, arm 162 islocated just behind (to the top as viewed in FIG. 1) carrier position 5.At this point, two carriers are ahead of the arm, in locations 4 and 5.The arm moves downward, engages the carrier in position 5 and pushesthis carrier downward to the carrier position 2. As the arm does this,this lens carrier pushes the carrier ahead of it to carrier position 1.After this is done, the arm 162 returns to a location just behindcarrier position 5. The arm is moved to push this lens carrier toposition 4. As this occurs, this carrier pushes the lens carrier aheadof it to position 3, abutting against the carrier in position 2, whichin turn abuts against the carrier in position 1.

Assembly 130 is used to push this group of carriers 104 into thepre-cure area 110. Assembly 130 is also shown in greater detail in FIGS.4–6; and as shown therein, the assembly includes support member 160,pusher 168, and moving means 170. Generally, pusher 168 is supported bysupport member 160 for movement toward and away from the support member,and moving means 170 is provided to move the pusher, relative to thesupport member, to engage the group of lens carriers, and to push thatrow of carriers into the pre-cure area. Preferably, the lens carriersare pushed into the pre-cure area as a group, while maintaining thealignment of the carriers and the abutting contact of neighboringcarriers.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, any suitable devicesmay be used as support member 160, arm 162, pusher 168, and moving means164 and 170. Also, these devices may be operated in any suitablespecific manner.

Once the lens carriers are in the pre-cure area, assembly 132 is used tomove the carriers across that area. Assembly 132 is illustrated indetail in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9; and with reference thereto, this assemblycomprises support member 172, arm subassembly 174, and moving means 176and 178. Generally, support member 172 is located below the pre-curearea, and arm subassembly 174 is supported by the support member forhorizontal and vertical movement. Also, moving means 176 is operated tomove the arm subassembly vertically from a position beneath the pre-curearea, to a position extending above the floor of that area. The movingmeans 178 is operated to move arm subassembly 174 horizontally, toengage the rows of lens carriers in the pre-cure area and to move thoserows across that area and into a final row position therein.

In order to accommodate the above-described movement of subassembly 174,the floor of pre-cure area is provided with slots 180 (shown in FIG. 2)that allow the subassembly to move from beneath that floor, upwardthrough that floor, then forward, and then back downward, to a positionbeneath the floor.

Preferably, pre-cure area 10 holds three rows of lens carriers, andassembly 130 is used to move the carriers across the pre-cure area onestep at a time, from the first row position, to the second row positionand then to the third row position. Moreover, preferably, assembly 130moves carriers from the first row to the second row at the same timethat the assembly moves carriers from the second row to the third row.

To achieve this, arm subassembly may comprise a pair of spaced apartarms or projections 182. These arms 182 are positioned and operated sothat these arms move upward together, with one arm moved upward justbehind the first row of carriers, and the other arm moved upward justbehind the second row of carriers. These arms are then movedhorizontally together, with one arm moving one row of carriers from thefirst row position to the second row position, and the other arm movingone row of carriers from the second row position to the third rowposition.

Any suitable support member 172, arm subassembly 174 and moving means176 may be employed in the practice of this invention, and these devicesmay be operated in any suitable specific manner.

Assembly 134 is provided to move the lens carriers out of the pre-curearea from the final row position. Preferably, with particular referenceto FIGS. 10 and 11, this assembly includes first and second engagementmeans 184 and 186. First engagement means 184 is used to engage the rowof lens carriers in the final row position in the pre-cure area, and tomove this line of carriers in a first direction so that the carriers inthat final row are located, one at a time, in a discharge position 190.With the specific arrangement shown in FIG. 1, this discharge positionis the position of the bottom right carrier in the pre-cure area. Secondengagement means 186 is used to engage each of the lens carriers in thefinal row of carriers, one carrier at a time, and to move the carrierfrom the discharge position and out of the pre-cure area.

Any suitable means may be used as the first and second engagement means184 and 186. For example, these engagement means may be pneumaticcylinders that are operated to push the carriers in the desired manner.Alternatively, electrically operated pushing or pulling mechanism mayalso be employed to move the lens carriers in the appropriate way.

Assembly 136 is provided to move the carriers discharged from thepre-cure area into the cure area 112. More specifically, with referenceto FIGS. 1 and 10, assembly 136 engages these carriers, one at a time,at a carrier receiving position 192, and moves these carriers in a firstdirection to form a row of lens carriers in a first row position 194 inthe cure area, with neighboring carriers in the row contiguous to eachother.

Any suitable specific means may be used to do this. For example,assembly 136 may comprise a pneumatic cylinder, positioned just belowthe receiving position 192. As carriers are moved from the pre-cure areaand into that receiving position, this cylinder may engage thesecarriers, one at a time, and pushes the carriers upward, into the curearea, to form a row in position 194. After the first carrier is pushedinto the row, then, as each subsequent carrier is pushed upward, thatsubsequent carrier abuts against the previous carrier and pushes thatcarrier further upward. This process continues until the row of carriersis formed.

As will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art, otherspecific means may be used to form the carrier rows in the cure area.For instance, electrically operated pushing or pulling devices may beused to form these rows in the cure station.

Assembly 140 is used to move each row of carriers across the curingstation 112, from left to right as viewed in FIG. 1, from the first rowposition to a final row position 196. As this occurs, the rows formarray 124, with neighboring rows in the array abutting each other.Preferably, assembly 140 includes support means 202, a pushersubassembly 204, and moving means 206. Pusher subassembly 204 issupported by the support means 202 for movement toward and away from thesupport means. Moving means 206 is provided to move the pushersubassembly to engage the rows of lens carriers that are formed in rowposition 194 and to push these rows, one row at a time, forward one stepacross the cure area. As each row is pushed forward, the row abutsagainst the row ahead of it and pushes that row forward one step.

With the preferred embodiment of the invention, this process of each rowof carriers being pushed across the cure area by the next row, continuesuntil the row reaches the last row position 210 of the array. Then,subassembly 212 is used to move that row of carriers away from array124. More specifically, subassembly 212 is supported for movement towardand away from that last row position of array 124, and is used to engagethe lens carriers in that last row position and to move that row ofcarriers away from the array.

Preferably, with particular reference to FIGS. 13 and 14, subassemblyincludes a series of engagement members 216 and moving means 220.Engagement members 216 are supported for horizontal movement beneath thecuring area and for vertical movement. Moving means 220 are provided tomove the engagement members 216 horizontally, beneath the cure area, topositions below the last row of carriers in array 124, then to move theengagement members vertically to engage that row of carriers, and thento move the engagement members horizontally to move the carriers of thatlast row from array and into a final row position. Once the lenscarriers are in the final row position, engagement members 216 arelowered, freeing the lens carriers from the engagement members.Preferably, a respective two engagement members are provided for eachlens carrier in each row of array 124; and when a row of carriers ismoved away from the array, each lens carrier in that row is engaged andmoved, in the above-described manner, by a respective two engagementmembers.

In order to accommodate the above-describe movement of engagementmembers 216, the floor of cure station 112 is provided with a series ofelongated through slots 222 (shown in FIG. 2) that allow the engagementmembers to move from beneath that floor, and upward through the floorand into engagement with in carriers of the curing station. These slotsalso allow the engagement members to then move forward, and then backdownward, beneath the floor. With the preferred embodiment of theinvention, where a respective two engagement members 216 are providedfor each lens carrier in a row of the carriers, the floor of the curingstation is provided with a respective two of these elongated slots 222for each carrier in the row. Thus, for instance, if there are sixcarriers in a row, preferably, the floor of the curing station isprovided with twelve slots. Moreover, preferably, a respective pair ofthe slots extend directly below a each line of carriers in the array124.

Any suitable engagement members 216 and moving means 220 may be used inthe practice of this invention. For example, the engagement members maybe threaded rods mounted on carriers that, in turn, are mounted onrails. The carriers are moved along these rails to move the rods in thehorizontal direction, and the rods are rotated to move the rods upwardsand downwards. Any suitable means may be used to move the carriers alongthe rails, and for example, stepper motors may be used to do this.

Preferably, subassembly 212 is able to pull lens carriers from any rowposition in array 124 to the final row position 196 in the curingstation 112. This allows the number of rows in that station to be variedor adjusted over time. This feature, referred to as an intelligentbuffer, enables the output of the curing station to be controlled andadjusted to accommodate conditions or circumstances occurring in themanufacturing system 100 downstream of the curing station. For example,if it is appropriate to interrupt the manufacturing system at some pointdownstream of the curing station, lens carriers can be allowed toaccumulate in the curing station. In this way, the processes occurringat and upstream of the curing station can continue uninterrupted and arenot affected by the downstream interruption.

In order to achieve this ability, elongated slots 222 extend completelyacross array 124, preferably all the way to and underneath the first rowposition 194. Also, elongated members 216 are supported for movementcompletely across array 124, and can be used to engage lens carriers inany row of the array and to pull that engaged row of carriers to thefinal row position 196. In addition, with this preferred embodiment, ashield is provided to shield the last several rows of array 124 from theultraviolet or visible light source in the curing station. With thisshield, system 100 has the option of holding lens carriers in those lastseveral rows without overexposing the contact lenses in those carriersto the light source.

With reference again to FIG. 1, once lens carriers are located in thefinal row position 196, assembly 142 is used to move those carriers outof the curing station. Preferably, assembly 142 includes subassembly230, receiver 232, and pushing means 234. Receiver 232 is locatedadjacent the final row position 196, preferably aligned with that row.Subassembly 230 is provided for engaging the lens carriers in that finalrow position and moving the lens carriers, one at a time, onto thereceiver 232. Pushing means 234 is then used to push the lens carrieroff the receiver and out of the curing station.

With the embodiment of subassembly 230 shown in the Figures, thissubassembly includes a series of beams 236 and moving means 240. Beams236, referred to as walking beams, are supported for movement along rowposition 196, to a location adjacent or above receiver 232; and means240 is provided to move this series of beams across the final rowposition, to engage the lens carriers therein and to push those lenscarriers onto the carrier receiver 232. For example, every other lenscarrier may be engaged by one of the beams 236, and that one beam may beused to push two lens carriers onto receiver. Other arrangements may beused, however, in the practice of this invention.

Preferably, receiver 232 forms a defined area 242 for receiving carriers104. The carriers are pushed into this area by subassembly 230, and thenpushed out from this area by pushing means 234. In addition, preferably,receiver 232 is rotatable, and this defined area 242 has the shape of across, with each segment of the cross being adapted to receive two lenscarriers.

In use, one of these segments is aligned with row position 196, then twolens carriers are pushed onto this segment, the receiver 232 is rotatedninety degrees, and pushing means 234 pushes these two lens carriers offthe receiver. As the receiver rotates ninety degrees, the second crosssegment becomes aligned with row 196, and subassembly 230 then pushestwo more lens carriers onto this segment of the receiver. The receiverrotates another ninety degrees, and pushing means 234 now pushes the twoadditional carriers off the receiver. This process continues, with thereceiver rotating ninety degrees each time two lens carriers are pushedonto the receiver. In this way, the receiver 232 changes the directionof the path of travel of lens carriers by ninety degrees. The carriersthat are pushed off the receiver may be pushed onto a conveyer belt orother suitable means for transporting the carriers away from the curingstation.

Any suitable beams 236, moving means 240 and receiver 242 may be used inthe practice of this invention. For instance, beams 236 may be mountedon an endless conveyor belt that carries the beams through the desiredpath. Also, a pneumatic cylinder may be used as pushing means 234,although electrically operated pushing or pulling mechanisms may also beused to move the lens carriers from receiver 232.

Control means 150, as mentioned above, are provided to control and tocoordinate the operation of the above-discussed article handlingdevices, and these assemblies may be controlled and operated in anysuitable specific manner. For instance, these control means may be usedto operate the article handling assemblies according to a defined timingsequence, or sensors may be used to identify when certain events occuror are to occur. Also, a combination of sensors and a defined timingsequence may be used to coordinate operation of the assemblies. Forexample, in order to facilitate operation of the above-discussedintelligent buffer feature of the curing station, preferably controlmeans is provided with a signal or other information identifying wherethe last row of lens carriers is located in array 124. With thisinformation, the control means is able to direct subassembly 212 to theproper location the next time that subassembly is activated to move arow of lens carriers from the array 124 and into the final row position.

While it is apparent that the invention herein disclosed is wellcalculated to fulfill the objects previously stated, it will beappreciated that numerous modifications and embodiments may be devisedby those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the appended claimscover all such modifications and embodiments as fall within the truespirit and scope of the present invention.

1. Article handling apparatus for moving contact lens carriers, around adefined area, comprising: a first set of article handling devices forreceiving a multitude of contact lens carriers, for forming a firstarray of lens carriers in said defined area, and for moving said lenscarriers into, through, and out of a pre-cure area; and a second set ofarticle handling devices for receiving contact lens carriers from saidpre-cure area, for forming a second array of lens carriers in a curingarea of said defined area, and for moving the lens carriers of saidsecond array through said curing area, wherein the curing area includesan intelligent buffer for accumulating and discharging cured lensesaccording to variable processing conditions.
 2. Apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the first set of article handling devices includes: afirst assembly for assembling a group of lens carriers in a row in afirst position, with neighboring carriers in the row contiguous to eachother; a second assembly for moving said row of lens carriers from thefirst position and into the pre-cure area; a third assembly for movingsaid row of lens carriers, across the pre-cure area and into a finalposition therein; and a fourth assembly for moving said row of lenscarriers from the final position and out of the pre-cure area. 3.Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first assembly includes: asupport member; an arm mounted on the support member for movementtherealong; and means to move the first arm between first and secondpositions to engage lens carriers and to assemble said group of lenscarriers in said row.
 4. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein thesecond assembly includes: a support member; an arm supported by thesupport member for movement toward and away from the support member; andmeans to move the arm, relative to the support member, to engage saidrow of lens carriers in the first position and to push said row of lenscarriers from the first position and into the pre-cure area. 5.Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the third assembly includes: asupport member located below the pre-cure area; an arm subassemblysupported by the support member for horizontal and vertical movement;and means to move the arm subassembly vertically from a position beneaththe pre-cure area, to a position extending above the pre-cure area, andto move the arm subassembly horizontally to engage said row of lenscarriers in the pre-cure area and to move the row of lens carriersacross the pre-cure area and into said final position therein. 6.Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the fourth assembly includes:means to engage the row of lens carriers in said final position, and topush the lens carriers of said row in a first direction, wherein thelens carriers of said row are located, one carrier at a time, in adischarge position; and means to engage each of the lens carriers ofsaid row, one carrier at a time, when the lens carrier is in thedischarge position and to move the lens carrier out of the pre-curearea.
 7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second set ofdevices includes: a first assembly for forming a row of lens carriers ina first position in said curing area, wherein neighboring carriers inthe row are contiguous to each other; a second assembly for moving saidrow of lens carriers through a sequence of positions in the curing areaand to a final position therein; and a third assembly for moving saidrow of lens carriers out of the curing area.
 8. Apparatus according toclaim 2, wherein the first assembly includes: means to engage aplurality of lens carriers, one at a time, in a carrier receivingposition, and to move the lens carriers in a first direction to formsaid row of lens carriers.
 9. Apparatus according to claim 7, whereinthe second assembly includes: support means; a pusher subassemblysupported by the support means for movement toward and away from thesupport means; and means to move the pusher subassembly to engage aplurality of rows of lens carriers, one row at a time, when each of saidrows is in the first position in the curing area, and to push the rowsacross the curing area to form said second array of lens carriers in thecuring area, wherein said second array includes a plurality of rows oflens carriers, with neighboring rows in the second array contiguous toeach other.
 10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein: the secondarray of lens carriers in the curing area includes a last row of lenscarriers in a last row position; and the second assembly includes anengaging subassembly supported for movement toward and away from saidlast row position, and to engage a row of lens carriers in said last rowposition and to move said last row of lens carriers away from the secondarray.
 11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the engagingsubassembly includes: a series of engagement members supported forhorizontal movement beneath the curing area and for vertical movement;and means to move the engagement members vertically from a positionbeneath the curing area, to a position engaging the lens carriers insaid last row, and to move the engagement members horizontally to movethe lens carriers of said last row away from the array and into saidfinal position.
 12. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the thirdassembly includes: a carrier receiver located adjacent the final rowposition; a subassembly for engaging the lens carriers in the final rowposition and moving the lens carriers, one at a time, onto the carrierreceiver; and means to push the lens carriers off the carrier receiverand out of the curing area.
 13. Apparatus according to claim 12, whereinsaid subassembly includes: a series of beams; and means to move saidseries of beams across the final row position to engage the lenscarriers therein and to push the lens carriers onto the carrierreceiver.